nuclear-news

The entire article is only available in the print edition, but my article on nuclear power as an option for sustainable energy in Croatia is the lead article in the new issue of SEE: A Fortnight in Review, one of Eastern Europe’s leading business/finance trade journals:

http://see-magazine.eu/teasers/the-nuclear-option-why-nuclear-is-making-a-big-come-back-why-it-may-yet-in-croatia/

I’m very glad they ran this article, because having worked on energy issues in earnest over the past year especially in Serbia and Croatia, I have found the current approaches of these emerging nations to largely ignore nuclear as a future option. While Croatia has partial ownership of a nuclear power plant, its discussions for future plants have often began in earnest yet been sidelined by uninformed opposition or the mistaken view that natural gas, oil, and hydroelectric are better alternatives to nuclear. The problem is, while Croatia should be praised for their innovative applications of hydroelectric and other non-fossil fuel power generation approaches, it is doubtful these modalities will ensure independent power in the long run without some reliance on Russia or other oil/gas producers. Serbia’s situation is more dire and the Serbs have been less inclined to even examine nuclear. 

I know my article won’t change things alone, but it is my hope that it will reach people in business and government who can read it and see it as a catalyst to further consideration of nuclear. I hope also that if this happens, suppliers of technology and expertise in the United States will be courted for any possible projects: Russia’s Rosatom is gobbling up new build projects across Europe now in the nuclear sector, even getting its proverbial foot in the door in Finland and the United Kingdom. Thus, there are clearly new nuclear plant projects out there—as good as Rosatom is, this needs to be a competitive arena with US and Canadian participation, too. The former Yugoslav states, furthermore, do not have the best trust of Russia in nuclear matters—this goes double in Serbia where an accident at a research facility decades ago is still in people’s minds—and if these nations turn to nuclear, I expect they’ll look at all valid providers of the contracting services they’ll require. Serbia’s current Minister of Energy, Dr. Zorana Mihajlović, is a career university professor of economics as well as a politician and she has a wealth of experience dealing with Western nations and their economies. She’s not likely to run for higher office, either—think of her as akin to Condi Rice in many ways—so she is someone who probably could go with US contractor(s) and not face a huge political toll for not going with Russia or native suppliers.

I hope American and Canadian interests will notice Croatia and Serbia more and perhaps we can find a new market there.